Springsteen
by makesmyheadspin
Summary: Pacey's at the airport waiting for Joey's flight to come in when he literally runs into an old friend.


Springsteen

The airport was packed, but that was to be expected. As Pacey made his way through the throngs of people desperate to get to the gates they were supposed to be going to, an old Springsteen song started to play on his iPod. He had been dead set against getting one, insisting that vinyl was really the only way to go, but Joey could be very convincing. He was loathe to admit it but the little device really did come in handy.

He had never really been one to listen to the idle chit chat of strangers and he was even less interested in some of the very personal conversations people were prone to having on cell phones. Besides, the Boss would always have something better to say, as far as he was concerned, and it certainly trumped whatever on-the-fringe-of-fame indie music Joey might be listening to at the moment. He had learned long ago to make himself scarce when she pulled out The Best of Lilith Fair. There was only so much angry chick rock a man could take before he went insane.

So as the Boss crooned his way through 'My Hometown' he checked the boards to see when his wife's plane was due to arrive. She had been called away on business more than a week before. He never realized there were crises in publishing, but apparently one of her authors had suffered a near mental breakdown somewhere in New Mexico while on his first book tour, so she had been flown out to try and calm him down since he was threatening to pull the plug on the whole thing.

If anyone was good at rationalizing, it was Josephine Potter-Witter. Her sense of feminism had prevented her from dropping her own last name but Pacey didn't care about that at all. What mattered was that she had finally stopped running from him, from their relationship. The decision to get married hadn't been made overnight. Actually they were still in the honeymoon phase of their marriage which made him all the more anxious to get his inner caveman on and claim his woman, but all good things to those who wait, right?

Pacey stopped at the board where her flight was listed. It had been delayed. Perfect.

That would teach him not to check the airline website like Joey had told him to. Of course he had been in the middle of a _Family Guy_ episode when she had said it so he was only half listening to what she was saying. Joey's flight had a layover in Chicago, and being the end of summer she had warned there was a likelihood of an electrical storm delaying her flight home. Again, he hadn't really been listening.

With the intention of finding himself some overpriced coffee while he waited, Pacey turned to his right and promptly slammed into a blonde woman, nearly knocking her back on her butt. He reached up quickly to grab a hold of her to save her the embarrassment of falling, not to mention the pain of a bruised tailbone.

"Sorry," he apologized as his eyes registered her face.

Andie McPhee. Good God how long had it been? Not since before Jen died. They had promised to keep in touch that day in the hospital and at the time he knew he meant it. But then life got in the way as it always did. Between his restaurant, the frequent trips to New York to be with Joey and spending as much time with little Amy as he could, Andie had simply gotten lost in the shuffle. But now here she was, beautiful as ever and with a not so surprised smile on her face.

She plucked the buds from his ears and said, "I should have known. We're famous for literally running into each other."

"Well if you would watch where you're going…" he trailed off with a smile, and pulled her into a hug she was more than willing to give. "How've you been, McPhee?"

"That's _Doctor_ McPhee to you," she said and kissed his cheek before pulling back. "And I've been great, thank you. "The insanity of being an emergency room attending suits me pretty well."

"You were never good at the relaxing bits," he said.

Every time he saw her it was like he was seventeen all over again. He so clearly remembered the first time he saw her, how despite the fact she was taking him down a peg for his arrogance and rudeness, she was still incredibly cute. He had decided right then and there that he wanted to annoy her exclusively. And, as it turned out, he was rather good at it.

"I've gotten better," she smiled, and then noted the ring he was wearing on his left hand. "So you finally caught her."

_Her_ could have meant anyone if he felt like playing dumb but he knew precisely who Andie meant. There was no bitterness, no regret, no jealousy… all of that was better left in the past, back when they were still teenagers naïve enough to think that true love conquered all by some mystical force. All that time spent talking about soulmates when really, Pacey had discovered, there was no such thing. He loved Joey with everything he had but it wasn't magic that kept them together; it was work.

"She surrendered," he chuckled. "They all do eventually."

"The Witter charm is hard to resist," Andie conceded.

"So what are you doing here, Dr. McPhee?"

"I am here to pick up my boyfriend," she said, her smile returning full force.

"Boyfriend? Do they let you have a personal life in your line of work?"

"Sometimes I think it's frowned upon, but he's a doctor, too. He was at a conference in Portland," she explained.

"What kind of medicine does he practice?"

"Psychiatry," she admitted.

"He's not… I mean you aren't seeing him… _professionally_, right?"

"No!" Andie laughed and punched his shoulder.

"Ah!" Pacey grabbed his arm. He forgot how good her right cross was. "I was just checking."

"I know." Andie glanced at the board and her smile dimmed a bit. "Looks like his flight's delayed. When is Joey getting in?"

"Her flight's delayed as well, but she's coming from New Mexico by way of layover in Chicago."

"Get out! So it's possible Jax and Joey—"

"Jax?" Pacey cut in. "What kind of a doctor is named Jax?"

"It's Jax Maverick," she said, and Pacey chuckled. "What? I love his name!"

"It sounds like a comic book character, I'm not gonna lie."

"I'd be very careful about teasing someone for an odd name," she narrowed her eyes just a bit but he knew she was just teasing the same as he was. This was what they did—what they had always done. The banter. He missed the banter.

"With a name like Dr. Maverick he sounds like he should be specializing in mind control or something," Pacey smirked.

"Uh huh," she shook her head, "So since we're both waiting do you want to go grab some coffee or something?"

"Absolutely. Lead the way," he said, and gestured for Andie to walk ahead of him.

It was amazing how even after all the time that had passed there was still that little piece of him that loved her. He wasn't _in_ love with her and it had taken him a while to realize there was a big difference between the two feelings. He had never stopped being in love with Joey. Even before he kissed her on the side of the road that one morning toward the end of their junior year he had been in love with her. With Andie it was different.

Andie was… she was the first.

There would always been this monumental respect and gratitude toward her because Andie McPhee was the first person to ever believe in him, to ever push him to be something more. She hadn't bought into his woe-is-me tale of bad parenting and siblings that never appreciated him for his sense of humor or unique insight. Pacey J. Witter was no fool, but he was never going to be book smart. That just wasn't his style.

Andie's status as an emergency room doctor really showed itself when she ordered an extra-large, extra hot black coffee. Pacey, on the other hand, added a lot of sugar to his with just a splash of cream. It wasn't like the frou-frou lattes that Joey was addicted to and paid five bucks a pop for, but then he didn't see the need for caramel flavoring in his coffee. They chose a small table that was miraculously vacant in the food court at the halfway point between arrivals and departures and took seats opposite each other.

"So," Andie started once she was settled, "How's married life treating you?"

"So far it's great. We were disappointed you couldn't make it to the wedding," he said.

Andie had been invited. There was no bad blood or reason to think she would hop up mid-ceremony to put a stop to everything. They had all moved on from that long ago.

"I know," she frowned. "I was disappointed I couldn't make it either, but I had already agreed to do that charity thing and I couldn't back out on it."

"Hey, sick kids that wouldn't otherwise receive medical care trump a wedding any day of the week," Pacey insisted. "No hard feelings. Although you did miss one hell of a party."

"So I heard. Jack told me Doug cried during his toast?"

Pacey laughed at the memory and said, "Doug's an old softy. He likes to pretend he feels contempt for yours truly but we all know better."

"You _are_ loveable."

"Okay you're going to have to stop being so agreeable. It's making me nervous," Pacey smirked before taking a drink of his overpriced coffee.

"Don't worry, I promise to insult you at least twice before we go our separate ways," Andie promised.

From that point on it felt like nothing between them had changed. They talked about old times and the things they'd done as impressionable youths—back when they were fools in love with each other and the idea of being with anyone else was enough to break their souls. There was no thanking each other for the kindnesses bestowed or apologizing for the mistakes they made.

Simply put they had come to a point where they were old friends. While they sat there Pacey came to the understanding that no matter where he went in life, no matter how much time passed, he was always going to think of Andrea McPhee with a smile and warmth in his heart. If nothing else, she had loved him once. Purely and intensely, she had loved him, and he had felt the same. There would always be that connection between them.

"So this Jax guy," Pacey said after a moment's pause in conversation, "Is he a Springsteen man?"

Andie grinned and said, "Yes, he is. Although I think if I play 'Secret Garden' one more time he's going to lose his mind."

Pacey laughed at that, too.

"I can't say I blame him, McPhee."

"It's a good song!" she defended. "Besides, it's not like you didn't force me to listen to 'Born to Run' a thousand times."

"Hey, that song is a classic," he argued. "And 'Secret Garden' loses its charm when you're forced to listen to it on repeat after seeing _Jerry McGuire_ for the eight millionth time," he argued.

"You just hate chick flicks."

"Yes, I do, and on general principle. Name a single couple you know that has that sort of a story. Go ahead, I'll wait."

"But that's the whole point. Romantic comedies and chick flicks are about escape and the things we _wish_ would happen."

"So you secretly long to be a single mother dating a guy with commitment issues?" Pacey questioned.

"No," she laughed. "No, it's more like… girls want someone that is going to see them. I mean _really_ see them and appreciate everything. The good, the bad, the ugly, the baggage… We want a man that's going to fight for us, even if he doesn't know why."

"I see," he nodded. "Then I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually thankful I married a woman who likes subtitles and foreign films."

"Oh come on, Pace, I know you're a romantic. I remember."

He wasn't generally the flowers, candles and moonlight kind of guy but in his own way he knew how to be smooth. Lucky for him he had fallen in love with a woman who appreciated his definition of romance, and it was a good thing that she wasn't the kind of woman that got swoony over Valentine's Day or sentimental when Sweetest Day came around. Joey's idea of romance was a perfectly timed pickup line when she was stressed out and caught up in her own head, or a shoulder massage when she felt like she was getting nowhere with her work. Or, perhaps her favorite thing, was simply sitting idly by while her husband cooked her dinner.

"I have my moments." The corner of his mouth lifted just a little bit at that.

Andie's cell phone chimed and she looked at it. Her face lit up and she said, "His flight is landing. I should get going."

Pacey stood when Andie did and followed her to the nearest trash can so they could deposit their long emptied cups. Without hesitating he pulled her into another hug.

"It's good to see you, McPhee," he whispered into her ear.

"You know, hearing you whisper like that still gives me the chills," she said, and she was smiling when he pulled back.

She didn't need to explain why. The look in her eyes was enough. He knew it because he felt the same.

"You take care of yourself, yeah?"

"I will," she promised. "Say hi to Joey for me?"

"Absolutely."

They looked at one another for a few more seconds before Andie turned and disappeared into the crowd to go collect her boyfriend. Pacey stood there for a minute, letting his past wash over him. He thought about late nights on the creek with the Boss playing quietly on the tape deck while they talked or made out until their curfews forced them in for the night. He remembered all of the 'plans' they made for their future, both of them committed to seeing them come to fruition. Mostly he remembered his parents' disdain for the relationship he'd had with Andie, and how his father had made the mistake of insulting her by referring to her as the 'town crazy,' when she had been the first person in his short life to make him feel loved.

There were some kindnesses he could never, ever repay her for and it was probably best that he didn't even try. At the end of the day, Andie didn't think of herself as a hero, but just a girl that had fallen in love with someone who she believed should know he was special. She would always, always have a piece of his heart.

This time there were no promises of meeting again. If it happened, it happened. If it didn't at least they would always have their memories… and Springsteen.

-THE END-

* * *

**Normally I write for the Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood fandoms so if any of those readers have decided to check out this little one shot just know I'm not abandoning SVM or TB. Homegirl just needed a change. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
